What's That in the Staircase?

a gentle brain washing

Sarah Goetz

Visitors to Perkins Library may notice an unusual new addition to the
Fish staircase on the northeast side of the building (close to the
Perkins/Bostock connector).

An art installation recently went up
over Spring Break by Duke senior and Visual Studies major Sarah Goetz.
Titled "a gentle brain washing," the piece consists of mesh, thread, and
pages from the Encyclopedia Americana (entries "Burma-Cathay") folded into shapes.

Here's what Goetz has to say about the work:

"'a
gentle brain washing' hopes to question archives as sources of
collective memory and encyclopedic knowledge. The piece was inspired by
the physical manifestations of information networks and the neurological
processes of memory consolidation. Airflow and information flow
complicate the status of individual strands of ideas-creating changing
connections over time. It is part of my broader goal to explore
relationships between memory, space, and the ongoing quest for
information, knowledge, and truth."

Some viewers may recognize
Goetz's work from the Biddle Music Building, where it was recently on
display last fall. You can read an article about that and see more
photos of Goetz's installation in the Biddle Music Building here.

"a gentle brain washing" will remain on display in the Fish staircase in Perkins Library until May.